A capture application is used to operate a scanning or capture device such as a digital camera or scanner and store a captured image. This application is independent and stands alone from other software. The scanning and capture application stores the captured data in a format native to the scanning or capture application. If a user desires to import data generated by the scanning or capture application that separate target application must be opened and the data converted into a format recognized by the target application before being opened by the target application. The captured data is either three dimensional data or two dimensional data.
Computer automated design (CAD) applications are possible target applications. These applications create and manipulate three dimensional models. These models may be stored on local storage devices. The CAD application can operate on three dimensional models or data generated or captured by other applications if the three dimensional models or data are converted into the format utilized by the CAD application. A separate conversion application is utilized to alter the format of the three dimensional models. A user seeking to import a three dimensional object into the CAD application opens three separate applications: the generating application, the conversion application and the CAD application to affect this transfer.
Similar actions are used to allow two dimensional images to be utilized by applications including databases, email applications, publishing applications and similar programs when the two dimensional image is generated by another application. An application to generate or capture a two dimensional image is used and the image stored. A conversion program is used to alter the format of the image for use with other applications. The target application is then used to open the converted images. Again, three separate applications are required to generate or capture an image and then convert it into a format that a target application can handle. Each separate application must be individually launched and manipulated by a user to affect the desired capture and import.